Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Jan. 19 -- Japanese company Inpex Australia and its JV partner Total SA have awarded the front-end engineering and design contract for their proposed Ichthys LNG plant in Darwin to a consortium of JGC Corp., Chiyoda Corp., and Kellog Brown & Root—collectively known as JKC joint venture.
The FEED services, which will be carried out during 2009, mark a key milestone in the $20 billion (Aus.) Ichthys project. Gas from Ichthys field, in the Browse basin off Western Australia, will be piped 800 km to the LNG plant planned for Blaydin Point in Darwin Harbour in the Northern Territory.
The two-train project is expected to begin with production of 8 million tonnes/year of LNG along with 1.6 million tonnes/year of liquid petroleum gas and 100,000 b/d of condensate.
The first LNG shipments are scheduled for late 2014 or early 2015.
Operator Inpex says it remains firmly committed to the project despite the current global financial environment.
A separate FEED contract will be awarded for the offshore facilities shortly, Inpex said.
